Zaharia - Update# 6, The Cities of Zaharia

Inner Void Interactive has posted the sixith update for Zaharia with a look at some concept art that shows how they want the cities in Zaharia to look.

The concept of city in Zaharia

In this update we will explain how we want the cities in Zaharia.

We don't want them to be only huge quest hubs, cities must be massive places where the player get lost and meet infinite possibilities. In Zaharia the economic and political power dwells in the biggest cities of the Empire, cities are full of opportunities of any kind and they will be the starting point of most players' adventures.

Sad that this project isn't getting more support. I think the game concept is outstanding, it's just a problem mainly of presentation and getting enough exposure. A lot of people have valid criticisms of the pitch video. Also they're showing too much concept art, when they should be showing screenshots (since they actually have a decent looking prototype). I've been talking this game up in every forum I can think of. People are interested but also cynical… And lazy. A lot of people can't be bothered to DL and try out the prototype, but ask others what they think of it. So you really have to grab their interest with the video.

I just hope Inner Void doesn't give up if (when) the funding goal isn't reached. I think all they need to do is polish their prototype, revamp their pitch, and try again. This is a game that needs to be made.

Originally Posted by daveyd
Sad that this project isn't getting more support. I think the game concept is outstanding, it's just a problem mainly of presentation and getting enough exposure. A lot of people have valid criticisms of the pitch video. Also they're showing too much concept art, when they should be showing screenshots (since they actually have a decent looking prototype). I've been talking this game up in every forum I can think of. People are interested but also cynical… And lazy. A lot of people can't be bothered to DL and try out the prototype, but ask others what they think of it. So you really have to grab their interest with the video.

I just hope Inner Void doesn't give up if (when) the funding goal isn't reached. I think all they need to do is polish their prototype, revamp their pitch, and try again. This is a game that needs to be made.

Pure Kickstarter fatigue for me. I've dropped over $1200 on projects last year that I have yet to see. This time next year many of those projects will be out, and if I'm not disappointed by the product, I'll start backing others. Until then, Kickstarter stuff is on probation for me.

I also thinking marketing plays a huge role in projects failing and it's even more vital with KS fatigue. Making a game and running a business are two different things and you really need to understand both aspects. If people don't know about your product, they won't buy it. Your job is to get that word out, generate leads, and convert as many of them to customers as possible. You want to do a fair amount of this before you ever launch on KS to get the best possible start which will encourage other backers later when it might be critical.

However, a failed KS isn't the end of the world and I too hope Inner Void realizes this. A mistake is only a mistake if you fail to learn from it. Figure out what you did right and what needs to be improved, both from a development and marketing standpoint and then relaunch. Even though the first try failed, it will have generated buzz which could help a 2nd attempt to get off to a great start.

Originally Posted by rjshae
Well it also has a Middle Eastern theme, and possibly that cultural association isn't playing too well with Western audiences these days. Just sayin'…

I have wondered if that might be deterring a significant amount of people from backing, but while I'm sure some people might have those feelings, I really don't think that is much of a problem. Firstly, whatever an individual's perspective on the wars in that region, I think most people recognize that this is a fantasy game based on medieval era Middle Eastern culture. The Prince of Persia games remain popular enough in the West to warrant multiple sequels and even a major film adaptation a couple of years ago. Not to mention Assassin's Creed. This is basically Prince of Persia: The RPG.

And more to the point, I think most people in the West realize that there are plenty of good people who live in all regions of the world; in many countries people have even less control over who rules their government and what they do than we do in the USA (which isn't much). At least I hope many people realize this…

Hadn't considered that angle though I don't think the middle-eastern theme impacted sales of Assassin's Creed (though they did move away from that region after). I remember plenty of people playing it on deployment when it came out. Granted, Zaharia seems to draw a much heavier flavor so who knows.

In my opinion its a mistake to call it Middle Eastern theme as it will turn off plenty of westerners. Meanwhile westerners will gobble up ancient Egyptian, Ottoman and Persian themed content. See what I did there? It looks Malazan to me so I'm very interested. I love the "world of antiquity". It's all marketing. The "Mummy" series was very successful afterall.

When I wonder why this Kickstarter is failing, I think of two things. Frist, the setting. I am not so optimistic about the cultural tolerance and intellectual curiosity of the average American. Second, the currency conversion. Laziness and fear of the unknown…in even such a trivial matter as this.

Edit: Make that three. Exposure. I may tend to focus on the negative, but this is probably the most important. My gaming news is derived almost exclusively from this site, but i'm not sure I've seen a single article referenced from another source. Sure, there have been many Kickstarter updates, but that's preaching to the choir. Because of the other two factors, news of this game is going to have to reach as many people as possible, so it can find the right people.

Originally Posted by Capt. Huggy Face
Edit: Make that three. Exposure. I may tend to focus on the negative, but this is probably the most important. My gaming news is derived almost exclusively from this site, but i'm not sure I've seen a single article referenced from another source. Sure, there have been many Kickstarter updates, but that's preaching to the choir. Because of the other two factors, news of this game is going to have to reach as many people as possible, so it can find the right people.

I see it mostly covered here and on RPG Codex.

I'm sure they could get other sites, but most of the larger ones wont bother that much. As one PR company said unless your game is half funded don't bother.